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Consumer Protection: Top Policy Priority for Funders. What Lies Ahead?

Financial inclusion funders have been elevating financial consumer protection as a priority. Our latest blog discusses how funders can turn that interest into action.

Africa Is Top Recipient of Financial Inclusion Funding

For the first time since CGAP began its funder survey, Sub-Saharan Africa in 2019 received more financial inclusion funding than any other region, with $7.6 billion in commitments. But new pressures on development budgets could impact the region.

Investing in Half the Sky: Funders and Women’s Financial Inclusion

To better understand how funders are approaching women’s financial inclusion, CGAP took a fresh look at its 2019 Funder Survey data and conducted a supplemental survey of 30 funders in August 2020.

How Are Funders Looking to Add Value in Digital Financial Inclusion?

The latest CGAP Funder Survey shows that less than half of development funding for digital financial inclusion goes to digital financial services (DFS) providers. Much of the funding instead goes toward building a DFS ecosystem.

3 Trends in Women’s Financial Inclusion Funding

Funding for women's financial inclusion is on the rise, but just 10 percent of financial inclusion programs are identified as having a gender component, according to the CGAP Funders Survey.

Funder Support for Regulatory Reform in Financial Inclusion

Funding for regulatory reform constitutes a small but crucial part of funder support for financial inclusion worldwide. Is it having the intended impact?

The 10-Year Challenge: How Has Financial Inclusion Funding Changed?

Funding for financial inclusion quadrupled between 2007 and 2017. However, greater coordination is needed to ensure funders focus on filling gaps in the sector without duplicating efforts and they build interventions based on their comparative advantage.

Women’s Financial Inclusion: Are Funders Moving the Needle?

Many countries with significant funding for women’s financial inclusion are seeing a widening gender gap. What does this mean for funders?

Is Funding for Rural Finance Going Where It’s Needed Most?

Global funding for rural finance has risen to nearly $5 billion. Are funds reaching communities with the greatest needs?

Who’s Getting Financial Inclusion Funding in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Funding for financial inclusion in Africa has reached $4.7 billion, up 270 percent over the past several years. So which countries are getting the most funding? And are these investments making a difference?

5 Highlights in Financial Inclusion Funding

Funder commitments to financial inclusion reached a historic high of $37 billion in 2016. See what else the latest CGAP funder survey reveals.

New Trends in Global Funding for Financial Inclusion

What direction is funding for financial inclusion headed? The results are in from the annual CGAP and MIX Cross-Border Funder Survey.

Regional Trends in International Funding for Financial Inclusion

International funding for financial inclusion varies greatly across regions.

Top Five Takeaways from CGAP’s 2015 Funders Survey

The CGAP Funders Survey found that international funding for financial inclusion reached $31 billion in 2014.

International Funding for Financial Inclusion: What's New?

CGAP estimates that in 2013 international funders committed at least $31 billion to support financial inclusion, representing an average growth rate of 7 percent per year between 2011 and 2013.

Investing in MENA’s Entrepreneurs: What is Really Needed?

A recent study by Wamda Research Lab highlights challenges preventing startups in the Middle East and North Africa from growing. One of the obstacles is access to appropriate funding.

Funding 2.0: Building Inclusive Financial Markets

Building a financial market that serves the poor requires more than supporting institutions. It also requires coordinating underlying elements - such as educating consumers, drafting appropriate laws, and building capacity in organizations.

Recognizing Two Approaches to Balancing Returns in Microfinance

If microfinance is to rely on impact investors to fund its future growth, it's crucial that it build credibility with both financial-first and below-market investors. Without clearer and more accurate investment propositions, microfinance could progressively alienate all its investors.

MSMEs: Big Opportunity In Small Lending

Access to finance is the most significant obstacle to business growth globally (16.2%) and experts estimate that there are 310 to 380 million enterprises that need more credit but can’t access it, with collective needs totaling $2.1 to $2.5 trillion.

Transparency In SME Investments: We’re Not There Yet

Despite evidence of financial and impact tracking, most DFIs do not disclose data on financial performance. Reporting on social impact is even harder to obtain. We are a long way from full transparency.